Finger Food Recipes

Whenever I see fresh crab available at the market, I buy a few, boil or sauté them and reserve at least one for cracking later to make another dish the following day. This is exactly what we did and this time I made crab cakes. I flavored the crab with capers, tarragon, chives and marinated artichoke hearts. My tip is to chill the crab cakes for a few minutes before cooking them to help them hold their shape.

I served the crab cakes with twice-baked potatoes and grilled asparagus on a bed of homemade hollandaise sauce. I wanted to serve the crab cakes warm, so little Aria and I dug in immediately after the meal was ready and I took photos afterwards. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the beautiful crab cakes with the hollandaise sauce as reheating it caused curdling. So even though the sauce isn't pictured, give some extra time to preparing it because the results are well worth it for a perfect weeknight meal!

Paneer masala is pan-fried paneer cheese simmered in a spicy, creamy sauce. It is amazing with plain basmati rice or hot naan. But instead of serving this dish the traditional way, I used it as a filling for mushrooms. The bold flavor of the curry sauce marries beautifully with the earthiness of the mushrooms; they make the most delicious fusion appetizers.

The idea for these cute appetizers was inspired by my aunt, Ma Mười. She told me the first time she tried Indian food years ago at a restaurant, she was served a lot of little metal tins filled with colorful sauces. After a while, she asked the waiter when her main meal was going to arrive. She thought they were condiments and didn't realize that was her entire meal.

These appetizers showcase the wonderful flavors of Indian cuisine for those who are not really familiar with this culture. I've prepared pizzas, "naaninis" and other fusion dishes with Indian toppings in the past. Indian cuisine is boldly flavored, so pairing it with simple and attractive presentation techniques is a low-risk strategy for producing delicious new dishes.

Chicken wings aren't really a popular snack in France, so I only had the chance to really experience them when I moved to the US. I love their versatility and they're one of the best choices for party finger foods, assuming you don't mind getting your digits a little dirty.

I made this batch using an Asian-style sweet and spicy marinade, and I used beet juice as natural red (49er-friendly) food coloring. The last step was basting the chicken wings with the thickened marinade using arrowroot starch. I can already picture us in the TV room this Sunday watching the Super Bowl game. My husband will be staring at his favorite team, the Niners, and I'll have my eyes on the chicken wings!

Crab cakes may be synonymous with Maryland in general and Baltimore in particular, but these delectable seafood treats are made San Francisco-friendly with the use of Dungeness crab. I love Dungeness crabs almost as much as Lulu loves the Niners, so you could say that this dish is a match made in heaven. Except of course that Lulu’s a vegetarian (I’ll post a veggie version next week).

For all us seafood eaters, this is a super easy dish to prepare, which makes it perfect party fare. The only part that requires any real effort is cooking, cracking and collecting the crab meat, but the results are well worth it!

Lulu and I recently went to a Japanese sushi bar and enjoyed platters of delicious rolls. When I came home, I was determined to serve the same gorgeous-looking sushi for the family. I reinterpreted the caterpillar sushi with a combination of hoisin sauce and kaffir lime sauce. The caterpillar outer layer is imitated with thinly sliced avocados. Unlike most of the "fancy" sushi rolls you'll find at restaurants, this one's vegetarian.

I have to admit I was very proud of how they turned out. And to my surprise, it wasn't that complicated. Sometimes, improvisation ends up with beautiful results!

Don't forget to enter your name and email address to be able to participate in my Haute Potato Cookbook contest. I will pick one winner next Monday. And if you already have a copy, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon. Thank you!